Inside Rishi Sunak’s first address to Tory MPs

It’s a rather strange leadership contest when the winner reaches the end without having said a single word in public. That’s what has happened in the case of the new Tory leader – and soon-to-be prime minister – Rishi Sunak. After Boris Johnson decided not to enter the race and Penny Mordaunt failed to reach the 100 MP nominations required, Sunak has been crowned the victor.

Shortly after the result was announced, he addressed Tory MPs behind closed doors on the committee corridor of parliament. Sunak arrived with his team – which includes 2019 intake MPs Laura Trott, Claire Coutinho and Craig Williams – to loud cheers and the banging of desks. His message to MPs in the room was that the party needs to unify as they only have one shot at this, telling MPs it was ‘unite or die’. In a bid to achieve this, Sunak praised his predecessors Johnson and Liz Truss for their public service as well as Penny Mordaunt. He began by saying: 'Boris, Liz, Penny - thank you.'

When it comes to the challenge facing the Tories, Sunak did not mince his words. He said the threat facing the Conservatives was an existential one – on top of the challenges already facing the country. He pledged honesty on the tough decisions that would be needed as well as emphasising the importance of a return to fiscal discipline – a core Conservative principle. Sunak also dismissed the idea of an early election. He said the key challenges for the Tories were to fix the economy and prove the party is worthy of being re-elected – suggesting it was their last chance to retain power.

What was the reception? Sunak won a warm welcome inside the room. On departing, several Blue Wall MPs said they were left ‘inspired’ and ‘relieved’ by the speech. MPs from different wings of the party stressed the need to take up Sunak’s message of unity. Mordaunt also told assembled hacks of her support for Sunak and again highlighted the need for unity going forward. But there were a few hints that this won’t be all plain sailing. When asked if they were ‘Ready for Rishi’, one Red Wall MP replied: ‘I’ll have to be.’ For now, however, there is an overriding sense in the party that they need to try and rally behind their third leader this year.